


Triad

by TW Lewis (gardendoor)



Series: Triptych [2]
Category: Highlander: The Series
Genre: Multi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2004-10-08
Updated: 2004-10-08
Packaged: 2017-10-29 05:01:51
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,631
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/316101
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/gardendoor/pseuds/TW%20Lewis
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Duncan tries to come to terms with what happened, and a new balance is achieved.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Triad

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: Wow, this was a long time coming, no pun intended. Almost a decade after I wrote The Ones Who Love You, here’s the aftermath for your enjoyment. Oh, and yeah, they're Rysher’s, and Rysher is probably not happy with hot sex scenes. If you’re not happy with hot sex scenes either, you probably shouldn’t be here. Much thanks to my beta, Kerensa Evans!

“This is no good,” Duncan MacLeod growled, thrusting the glass-framed parchment back at Richie. “I wanted the Gunther Hummell map. That’s Freidrich Hummell’s work, his son. Can’t you tell the difference?”

“Mac. I’m sorry, the guy said it was a Hummell map, I didn’t ask him about Hummell’s second cousin or whatever. I’ll take it back in the morning if you can’t use it.”

“No, you’ll take it back tonight, Richie. Learn to take responsibility for your mistakes, all right? That’s what grown ups do.”

“Take resp--” Richie bit off his words. “Fine! I’m going.”

He slammed out the door, and Tessa flinched at the noise. The tension had been building in the house for weeks and quite frankly Tessa was sick of it. Despite his verbal claims that everything was fine, since he caught Richie in bed with Tessa, Mac had grown jealously possessive of her, sending Richie out on errands instead of going himself, making love to her so fiercely at night that the bed slammed against the wall that bordered Richie’s room. Richie was so scared of Mac that he refused to even look at Tessa, and he was only a hair’s breadth away from leaving.

“Mac, I can’t believe how unfair you’re being,” Tessa argued.

“Unfair? Tessa, Richie works here. He has to learn--”

“I’m not talking about the damn map!” she yelled. “Do you have any idea how much you’re upsetting him? Or me?”

“I’m upsetting him?” Mac demanded.

“He’s terrified you’re going to throw him out, Mac; the longer this drags out, the worse he thinks you’re going to hurt him!”

“Well, he should have thought of that before he slept with my lover, Tess!”

“Oh, so now you’re going to tell me I’m the only woman you’ll ever love and I should feel the same way about you? Come on! Duncan, you’re Immortal. I’ve met some of your lovers, remember? Are you going to tell me you don’t still love Amanda? That you won’t go back to her when I grow old and die?”

“I haven’t slept with her or anyone else since I met you and I won’t until you’re gone,” he pointed out angrily. “Is that too much to ask of you?”

Tessa closed her eyes for a long moment, restraining herself. “Duncan, I love you. I will always love you. But I love him too. I’ve had to accept a lot in this relationship, with the Game and the Gathering, and never being able to have children. But I won’t stand for your chivalry; you don’t _own_ me!”

Duncan paused, momentarily startled out of his anger. “Do I really make you feel like a thing? Like I’m only angry at Richie for taking my woman, my property? I can’t help how I was raised, Tess, but I thought I’d joined the modern age a little better than that.”

Sensing the conflict within him, Tessa touched him. “You’re a good man, Duncan, a noble, brave, loving man. But you’re tearing the three of us apart with this anger, this refusal to forgive. We’re the only family he has. Don’t hurt him like this.” She paused. “Duncan, someday I’ll be gone, and the two of you will just have each other. I don’t want either of you trying to take the other’s head.”

Mac looked at her strangely. “What makes you so sure he’s pre-Immortal?”

Tessa blushed and shook her head. The last thing she needed was to explain to Mac that Immortal semen tasted different than mortal; Duncan would have a fit at the thought of what she would have to do with Richie to know that. She turned the question back on him instead. “Why haven’t you told him?”

Mac shook his head. “The way he rides that bike, the neighborhoods he walks in late at night, he does that knowing he might die. What do you think he’d do if I told him? I want him to grow into a man before his first death; he doesn’t have a chance of the life I have if he stays eighteen forever.”

Tessa nodded, she could see what he meant, but she needed to resolve the matter before Richie got back from his errand. “Mac, he’s scared of you. He keeps waiting for you to hurt him or tell him to get out. It has to stop. Please.”

“I’ll think of something,” Mac agreed. “Tess, I’m going out. I’ll be back in a few hours.” Tessa took the hint and let him leave.

*****

When he returned home, Duncan saw Tessa preparing dinner. Though Richie was on the other side of the room reading a book, he jumped the moment he heard the door. Tessa was right, Richie was bracing himself for Duncan to come down on him like every foster father who’d ever beaten him within an inch of his life. “Richie, calm down. I’m not going to kill you.” Mac watched the boy relax a little, though he had none of his usual quips. Richie hadn’t even been able to make his usual ‘tough guy’ cracks lately, he was so nervous.

“Supper is almost ready,” Tessa informed Mac, watching the two of them carefully.

“Mac, I’ve been thinking things over, and I think it would be better for everyone if I just left. I’m sorry about all of this, I just wasn’t thinking--”

“Richie,” Mac cut him off. “We need to talk.”

The younger man swallowed hard, remembering that the first time he had seen Duncan, the man had nearly taken his head in a case of mistaken identity. He hated to think of what he might do when he had cause. “Look, I said I was sorry, and I--”

“Now, Richie.” He walked upstairs to the bedroom, indicating for Richie to follow him, but when Tessa tried to come with them Duncan ordered her to stay downstairs. The two of them sat down on the bed, both of them thinking of what had gone on in that bed a week before. “Richie, I’ve been thinking about this for a while, and I think it’s time the two of us decided what to do.” He paused. “Richie, you’re my friend and I don’t want you to leave.”

Richie relaxed a little at that. “Look, Mac, I--”

“Let me finish,” Duncan demanded, and Richie shut up. “I have every right to be furious with you for what you did. Tessa and I have been together for years; she’s practically my wife. I don’t care what she said to you, you knew it was wrong to touch her.”

He was glad at least to see Richie meet his eyes, ashamed and ready for whatever satisfaction Duncan was ready to demand of him. “But what’s done is done. You love her and you’ve lain with her; there’s no way to erase that. I’ve shared women with friends before, especially Fitzcairn. If I didn’t, I could never have loved Amanda; she’s dated almost every Immortal man who hasn’t tried to take her head, and even a few who have.” He chuckled a little at the thought. “But we’ve never shared a woman at the same time and Tessa’s not going to be around forever. She doesn’t have centuries to pass back and forth between us, taking each relationship to its finish and moving to the other after a few decades. I thought about trading nights or something like that, but I couldn’t stand the thought of not knowing what was going on.” He took a deep breath. “If you think you can handle it, I think we could try sharing a bed. The three of us.”

Richie stared at him blankly, completely shocked. “Mac, are you serious? I mean, I don’t want to cut in on your territory...” he trailed off.

“I’ve been thinking about that too. Tessa isn’t my property and she loves both of us. I--”

“Mac, I have to tell you something.” Richie blurted out worriedly.

Duncan’s heart skipped a beat as he thought of all the things Richie might say, all the confessions that might come out of his mouth. “What?”

“When Tessa and I ... did it ... we didn’t use protection. I don’t think I have anything that might get her sick, but if she’s pregnant ... Mac, I’m sorry, I wasn’t thinking, I’ve been too scared to tell you, I--”

Relief flooded through MacLeod, he could think of far worse things the boy could have said, though he couldn’t let on why that wasn’t a problem. Still, he didn’t want to lie to Richie and demand total honesty in return, so he carefully worded his reply. “Richie, don’t worry about it. Tess can’t have children anymore.”

“She can’t?” Richie asked, confused. “I thought it was just you, that she wanted kids.”

“Richie, I can promise you didn’t get her pregnant.” He allowed himself a smile as Richie let out a sigh of relief. “But if you ever bring home anything that makes her sick, I’ll rip you apart.”

“Mac, believe me, I’m not even going to think about other girls, I swear.” He paused. “Well maybe _think_.”

Duncan grinned. “Come on, let’s go get some supper so Tessa doesn’t think we’re killing each other.”

Neither of them talked about it over dinner, though Tessa was obviously pressing them for information. But after dinner Duncan took Tessa’s hand. “Why don’t we go to bed a little early and leave the dishes for the morning?” he suggested.

Though Tessa seemed startled by Duncan’s mood swing, it made her smile in relief. “Sure. Richie, don’t stay up too late watching television, all right?”

Duncan took a deep breath and added, “Richie, you should probably come to bed too.”

Tessa stared at him, confused. But when they went upstairs to the bedroom and Richie paused at the door, she turned to Mac with a look of utter perplexity.

“It’s all right, Richie,” Mac urged, moving further into the room so that the teenager could follow him.

“Duncan, Richie, what’s going on?” Tessa demanded.

Richie swallowed hard. “Are you sure about this, Mac?”

Instead of answering, Duncan turned and kissed Tessa deeply, holding her until her confusion melted into desire. His fingers tightened in her hair as he felt her hands on his shoulders, then he let her go and gently pushed her in Richie’s direction, trying to ignore the pang he felt.

Both Richie and Tessa looked at him strangely, trying to gauge if he really wanted this. Then Richie tentatively leaned forward and kissed Tessa, letting out a long, shuddering breath as pent-up desire overcame his fear. Passion gave way to gentleness, and Tessa leaned back to pull Duncan forward into the kiss.

At first Duncan wanted to bolt; he had absolutely no desire to kiss another man, even if a woman was sharing them both. But the gentle sharing coaxed him to relax and he found himself curling one arm around Tessa and the other around Richie. He couldn’t remember feeling this new, this awkward, this scared and exhilarated since his teenage years four centuries ago.

Duncan reluctantly broke the kiss and saw uncertain desire reflected in both Tessa’s and Richie’s eyes. He wasn’t at all sure of himself, he wasn’t even sure that he would be able to go through this without feeling jealous and taking it out on one or both of them. But he had to admit that the sensations this evoked were as arousing as they were capricious.

He kissed Tessa and let his hands roam her breasts, moving over a little when he felt Richie’s mouth near his own, guiding the nervous teenager’s hands to his lover’s nipples, letting him explore them through the layer of cloth.

Realizing that at least for tonight they would both be looking to him as the orchestrator, Duncan slowly unbuttoned his shirt, feeling Tessa’s hands roam his exposed chest as he dropped the shirt on the floor. Richie’s nervous hand lightly touched Duncan’s stomach, and Duncan found that the touch aroused him more than it disturbed him. Richie fumbled with his tee shirt, pulling it over his head and dropping it next to Duncan’s on the floor.

Duncan untied Tessa’s wrap dress and she shrugged it off her shoulders, letting it fall around her feet as she stepped out of her shoes. She stepped between the two men, each hand sliding expertly to the buttons of their jeans as they nuzzled her neck, face and breasts with urgent kisses. She found she couldn’t unsnap the jeans with one hand each, so she turned first to Duncan and then to Richie, releasing the catch and pulling the worn denim down, exposing the straining bulges that fought their boxers.

Duncan, meanwhile, had reached around to unhook her bra, letting her breasts rise against his hands. Richie gave a low groan and bent down a little to catch a nipple in his mouth and suckle on it hungrily. The younger man was already kicking off his jeans, letting his hands roam Tessa’s waist as Duncan claimed her mouth.

*****

Tessa writhed under the insistent caresses of the men. They touched her so differently, each keeping her from becoming accustomed to the other. Duncan’s knowing mouth and strong hands knew exactly how to touch her, traveling routes long familiar and making her ache as much from anticipation as from each stroke and lick down her soft belly to her mound. Richie was clumsy and eager, each nibble and caress a surprise as he laid a path of kisses down her back and impulsively ducked to nip along her ribs, making her yelp. Duncan buried his face between her thighs, lapping hungrily at her juices, and Tessa’s legs would have buckled without Richie standing to support her and lovingly bite her throat, until it felt like her whole body was echoing between those two points, like her only purpose was to hold all the pleasure her two men could pour into her, until it was too much and she cried out, reaching back to grip Richie’s hair as she rode Duncan’s knowing mouth to a fierce explosion.

She came back to herself as Duncan playfully pushed Richie back onto the bed. “Don’t come until I tell you to,” Duncan ordered, and Richie shivered and nodded, staring up at them with huge eyes. Duncan guided Tessa to straddle Richie, then stepped up behind her and kissed her throat before pushing himself into the tight pucker of her ass. They’d done this before, once or twice, and Tessa groaned at the sensation as Duncan rocked back and forth, making room for himself. Richie was staring over her shoulder, his whole attention rapt by Duncan’s eyes as the older man guided Tessa forward, offering her to Richie’s cock.

Tessa shivered as Richie entered her, feeling the two men moving inside her, as Duncan set the rhythm, bowing her down until Richie’s chest hair scraped her nipples with every thrust. Richie was diamond-hard inside her, but he clenched his eyes shut, whispering, “Dontcome dontcome dontcome--” as Duncan snapped his hips and drove them deeper into the bed. He sped up his thrusts, and Richie was keening now, gripping Tessa’s hips hard enough to bruise, thrusting up to meet them. His cock was hitting her clit almost continuously, she’d never felt so full in her life and she was shattering again, crying out as her body’s spasms forced first Richie and then Duncan over the brink.

Finally, Duncan rolled to the side, pulling Tessa with him, and the three of them lay there in a tangle of limbs and cooling sweat. Duncan looked past her one last time and met Richie’s eyes with an indecipherable glance and Richie nodded once. Then Duncan pulled the covers up to shelter them and they slept.

End.


End file.
